What is happening in the world?!
It seems like every 20 minutes we get a news alert on our phones telling us about another massive problem that we will be faced with. It is overwhelming and unpredictable and so easy to fall down a rabbit hole of social media and the news. Our brains are wired to believe that the more information we have, the more in control we will be and we will be able to respond better and keep ourselves and our families safer.
What is Stress?
Stress shows up for us all at some point in time, and it comes in many different shapes and forms. For some of us it is very physical, waking up with your heart racing, feeling a sense of unprovoked panic. For others it is mental and emotional, feeling distract, struggling to accomplish things that are normally easy for you, losing interest in things you once loved. For others still it is interpersonal, snapping at your partner or kids, low sex drive, avoiding your friends because the idea of seeing them is exhausting.
Stress can cause anxiety, and when it is chronic and prolonged it can lead to burnout.
Someone recently told me about their “Sunday night scaries”, that feeling of dread that slowly creeps up on you throughout the day on Sunday knowing that tomorrow morning you have to go back to work. I think most of us have felt this, and that okay our bodies are designed for it, as long as it is a short lived experience. When dread starts to come for you every Sunday, when it steals your sleep, and leaves you tossing and turning staring at the clock and doing math about how much sleep you can still get… that’s a problem, that is when burnout comes.
Why do Stress, Anxiety and Burnout Matter?
It is happening to all of us now, it happened to all of us during the COVID19 lockdowns, why does it matter? It might seem insignificant, like something that you can just push through and it will go away on its own. But the reality is that if your body is signalling you, by ruining your sleep, messing with your mood, or hurting your relationships, your body is telling you it is a problem.
We are made to experience acute, short bouts of stress, it help us survive as a species once. But the stress you feel now, the financial pressure, the prolonged experiencing of supporting aligning parents, the struggles of navigating the education system for a kiddo with special needs, these things we are not made to feel so intensely for so long.
According to CAMH “Long-term stress increases the risk of mental health problems such as anxiety and depression, substance use problems, sleep problems, pain and bodily complaints such as muscle tension. It also increases the risk of medical problems such as headaches, gastrointestinal problems, a weakened immune system, difficulty conceiving, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and stroke.”
What can I do about my stress?
Addressing stress can seem impossible. There is little you can do about your parent’s aging, the state of the global economy, or the ever increasing number of tasks that work seems to assign you. But you do have power and there are steps you can take to help regain your calm and help your body move from stressed to relaxed.
Self-Understanding
Clarify what is important you and let this guide you in your actions.
- Values: if your family is what is most important to you, but you have been dedicating more and more time to work, invests in quality moments with the people that matter. If your health is the biggest priority in your life right now, take some steps to … take some steps. Find a dietician, naturopath, osteopath or physiotherapist to support you as you shift you focus from the noise of the world and back to what matters most.
- Happiness: When you think back on your best days, what were you doing? Let these memories guide you back to what feels the best for you. If you were jogging in the woods, get outside and watch the spring flowers bloom. If you were in a hammock reading, go to your local bookstore and find something that lose yourself in. You know yourself, and even 20 minutes a day of feeling the way you did then will help reset your mind and body.
Media and Our Phones
Here is the thing none of us want to hear and ALL of us could do better at. Open your phone and look at your screentime … notice the aps you are spending time on. Really stop and think, is checking your phone the first thing you do when you wake up, when you hear an alert go off can you ignore it? Are you turning on the news first thing in the morning and again before bed?
I can’t tell you anything you don’t already know about how this impacts you, but consider how it is linked to your stress. Lots of us think mindless scrolling is helping us “unwind” but our brain is not relaxing when we do this, it is getting hit after hit of dopamine… reinforcing our already heightened stress levels.
- Consider reducing your screentime: Start setting boundaries, such as not checking your phone for the first hour your awake. Turn off your push notifications and the things that lead you to mindless pick up your phone and start to scroll.
- Be selective about what you consume and when: That Netflix murder documentary is definitely compelling, but does your stressed body need to be watching it for three hours before you fall asleep? Are you listening to podcasts or reading books that would reinforce your fight or flight response? Be mindful and make thoughtful choices.
You are Not Alone
It’s not just you, this is far to common, and not enough of us talk about it. But if stress, anxiety and burn out are stealing your joy, or you find yourself lost in the constant rapid fire world of news media, we can help you stop the cycle.
If you are struggling with your stress and want support, you are not alone, and we are here to help. We can work with you to understand what’s happening and why and then come up with concrete and practical strategies (that you are actually willing to try) to help you succeed at turning down your stress anxiety and burnout.
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